1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an enclosure for shipping articles within a spacecraft. More specifically, the invention relates to a lightweight, high strength enclosure including an external enclosure protecting articles stored therein and an internal enclosure supporting the article within the external enclosure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Advances in space travel have made frequent space expeditions commonplace. Whether these expeditions are for strategic missions or scientific experimentation, the spacecrafts on which these missions are conducted must carry the payload dictated by the requirements of the mission.
In many instances, the payload is expensive, delicate and very valuable to the mission being undertaken. As such, the payload must be protected during transport. However, the space industry places a great priority upon weight and size reduction. Range and payload are adversely affected by conventional terrestrial designs.
In the case of enclosures for articles being shipped into space, the enclosure serves no purpose other than protecting the useful articles stored therein. As such, it would be highly desirable to provide spacecraft enclosures with reduced weight, without sacrificing the strength of the enclosure. The present invention provides such an enclosure.